As a pastor, I often have opportunities to talk to people. I actually love that about my “job.” Because I am a pastor, I often talk to other pastors, missionaries, and Christian leaders and believers from all walks of life. While in these conversations it is often puzzling to me how many followers of Jesus rarely talk about Him.
I see it on Facebook/Twitter as well. So much of life seems to be lived as if Jesus plays no part of our lives. Honestly, I am not saying that absolutely every conversation has to include Jesus, God, or some other Bible-connected word. Really! I love life like everyone else but if speaking of the person and work of Jesus rarely if ever comes up in conversations among proclaiming disciples of Jesus, I really do wonder how much we are even thinking of Jesus in every day life.
What should be the distinction of a “Christian?” What should be the definitive mark of a child of the living God? Christ–all He is and all He has done, right? That actually is what makes a “Christian” a “Christian,” I think. I believe this is true and I think that most believers would echo this sentiment.
However, it seems to be often the case that we just don’t talk about Him much. It may be as simple as we just don’t really think of Him much either. Take a brief tour of your Facebook News Feed and just see if you see what I see.
It may be no big deal in Facebook or Twitter, really, but it may give us just a hint why the passion and devotion to Christ in the church is as weak as it seems to be. I read an article discussing “Tebow-mania” and I like how he put it. He listed several reasons why he likes what “Tebow-mania” is doing right now. He also mentions his concerns.  You can read the whole article here. One of his concerns is:

“The Perception That Christianity Consists of Clichés. Walk into just about any Christian bookstore and you’ll quickly see that popular American evangelicalism loves clichés: pithy little slogans of feel-good spirituality. They are printed on t-shirts, bumper stickers, and motivational posters. They litter the pages of bestselling Christian books and are permanently etched into trinkets like key-chains and money clips. The roadside marquis of the average evangelical church contains new editions of these short little sayings every week — from messages like “Need a Faith Lift?” to “C H _ _ C H. What’s Missing? U R.”
I fear Tebow-Mania highlights this sappy side of mainstream evangelicalism more than it showcases the arresting truth of the biblical gospel. When discussing the Tebow phenomenon, media outlets often talk about faith in a cheesy “just-believe-in-yourself-and-make-your-dreams-come-true” kind of way. Numerous pundits have suggested that the Broncos’ sudden success should be made into a movie. One article joked that, if it were a screen play, the Tebow story would be too sentimental even for Disney.”

I get what he is saying. If we talk at all about “Christianity,” Jesus Himself–all that He is and all that He has done–is often missing.  Sad. So, today, speak to someone of Jesus. Go ahead…He’s God!